Man sought in alleged attempted shooting of Yucaipa deputy

YUCAIPA - Authorities were searching for a man who reportedly shot at a Yucaipa sheriff's deputy Friday morning while she attempted to remove an "unwanted subject" at a residence.

Brian David Forrett, 52, reportedly shot at the female deputy late Friday morning, then fled in a white Buick.

The female deputy was not injured, but it was unclear if the gunman who reportedly shot at the deputy first and fled in a vehicle was injured, Sheriff's Cpl. Randy Naquin said.

Authorities received a call from a home in the 11900 block of Second Street around 11:30 a.m.

The caller said there was a man at the home and the caller wanted him off the property, Naquin said.

"When the deputy arrived (she) made contact with the suspect, and after only a couple of minutes shots were fired," Naquin said. "The suspect fired, the deputy fired, and the suspect then fled the scene."

About a dozen yellow evidence markers littered the front yard of the home where the shooting reportedly took place as well as a few scattered markers on Second Street.

A window on the deputy's patrol car was blown out in the gunfight, Naquin said.

Forrett reportedly jumped into the white Buick, reversed and rammed the deputy's vehicle, according to a news release.

"The deputy attempted following the vehicle but wound up losing it fairly quickly," Naquin said.

As of 6 p.m., Forrett, whose last known address was in Riverside, had not been apprehended.

"It was scary," said Reina Gutierrez, 21, whose home was less than a block from the shooting.

"I heard like 15 shots and then I told my mom to call 911," she said as she stood in front of her Second Street home along with 12-year-old Fernanda Garcia.

Fernanda was walking home from school when she came upon the closed-down road.

"They won't let me down there," said the girl. "I just want to get home."

Neighbors reported seeing one man being taken from the home and placed into the back of a patrol unit. It was not clear who that person was or if he was arrested. Authorities at the scene didn't release much information stating the shooting was still an active investigation.

A portion of Second Street between Cedar and Beech streets was shut down for hours as detectives and forensic teams gathered information and interviewed some of the people who were still inside the Second Street home.

Jerry Barnes, a neighbor who lives across the street from the home where the shooting took place, said the house is always active at night when he usually goes to bed. Barnes said he moved to the area about a year ago and was out fishing during the time the shooting occurred.

"I'm not used to this," said Gutierrez, who moved to the area in December. "It's almost always quiet here so far. I was just really scared and surprised by all this."

Forrett is described as standing about 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing about 186 pounds with brown and gray hair and a large mustache, officials said. He was last seen driving a white Buick with rear end damage, a damaged windshield and California license plate 6SHF401.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Detective Darrin Taylor at 909-790-3105 or sheriff's dispatch at 909-387-8313.